


Not So Chaotic

by Yashitsu



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Offscreen Violence, Swearing, because cid, minor gore, mostly comfort, my phone autocorrected cid's name to everything you can possibly think of while writing this, non-sexual nudity, shut up and drink ur gd tea vinny, well near nudity at least
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-08-11 16:43:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20156776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yashitsu/pseuds/Yashitsu
Summary: Vincent sometimes can't help feeling like a monster, but that doesn't matter if Cid's not scared of monsters.





	Not So Chaotic

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GoneGravitas (AntiGravitas)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AntiGravitas/gifts).

Vincent was mortified. There was no going back, he was a monster, surely. All he had done, all the effort he'd put in trying to keep Chaos at bay, and he'd failed. He'd lost control yet again. Though no one had been hurt, they could have been, and that was what terrified Vincent. He could feel how Chaos wanted carnage, his own clawed hand itching to tear, his own throat feeling dry for lack of thick, life-laden blood. He was dangerous. He should have stayed locked up.

"There you are! Shit, thought you'd done something crazy!" _His_ voice. Cid, the man who, despite everything, refused to fear him. Cid would stand beside him, touch him, lie with him. Like he was a normal person. At times, it was almost too much to bear. This was certainly one of those times.

"You should not... It isn't safe," Vincent said, cringing down further into his scarf, not wanting to meet eyes with Cid.

"Nonsense, you're not all furry anymore. You're fine. Here," Cid shoved a mug in Vincent's face.

"Alcohol is not a good idea right now," Vincent said.

"God damn, what kinda drunkard do you take me for!? This is tea! Come on, drink it." Vincent accepted the mug, if only because Cid was so insistent on it. It was warm and heavy in his human hand. Calming. Vincent's mind was still screaming that Cid needed to leave, that Vincent wasn't safe for him to be around, but Vincent couldn't bring himself to deny the sorely needed comfort. Cid sat down and leaned against a tree, sipping from his own mug. It was a strange sight to Vincent. Cid was so relaxed around him, even after seeing him lose control. After a few minutes of Vincent continuing to stand there holding his tea, Cid spoke again. "You just gonna stand there until it gets cold? Come on, sit with me." Vincent obliged, taking a seat next to Cid. Cid shuffled himself over until the two men were shoulder to shoulder. Vincent tensed as he felt Cid lean against him. After going so long without any sort of positive physical contact, the sensation was odd, foreign. Vincent felt as if he couldn't possibly deserve it, the subtle warmth, the reassuring presence of a human being. Cid was the first person to ever treat him so casually, even back before he became... this. Vincent was used to looking at happiness from the outside, not experiencing it. His desires had always been locked behind walls of crystal, untouchable. Eventually, Vincent had convinced himself he deserved that.

"Hey, your tea's gettin' cold." Vincent's thoughts were interrupted by Cid's words. Vincent realized he had been in a sort of trance, caught up in his memories. He hurriedly took a gulp of tea. It was indeed lukewarm. Not very pleasant. Still, the mild, earthy taste grounded him a bit. The two men sat together for a while longer in the now peaceful forest, watching the shadows of the trees elongate with the setting of the sun.

It was on the way back to camp that everything went wrong again. They had been attacked by a monster, Vincent couldn't remember what kind. Something weak. Vincent had still felt fragile and off-kilter, and he ran, trying to put enough distance between himself and the creature that Chaos would stop trying to claw its way out from beneath Vincent's skin, but he wasn't fast enough. Cid had drawn his spear and stabbed the poor beast, and the mere whiff of blood had overwhelmed Vincent. The last thing he remembered was Cid cursing up a storm as Vincent shouted at him to run, and then everything went dark.

Vincent came back to his senses hunched over an unrecognizable mound of gore. For a moment, sheer terror rendered him completely unable to move and hardly able to think. He couldn't bring himself to ask the most important question; what had he killed? The monster, or... or...

Vincent nearly collapsed in relief upon spotting a chunk of fur buried in the blood-soaked pile. It was the monster. Surely it was _only_ the monster. Surely.

"Vincent?" Upon hearing Cid's voice, Vincent realized he hadn't really been sure. It was only then, when proof that he hadn't destroyed the only person who seemed to understand him was in front of him, that he could be certain of it.

"I am sorry," Vincent said quietly, staring at Cid's shoes.

"For what? It's not like you attacked me," Cid replied.

"I... did not," Vincent said, half question, half reassurance.

"Nope, never have," Cid said casually. Vincent's eyes darted up to meet Cid's.

"I had not known that," Vincent said, "not for certain." Vincent rarely remembered what he did when Chaos was in control. He'd never been told that he attacked one of his allies, but with how wary and skittish the others were around him and the suspicious looks they'd give him when they thought he couldn't see, the possibility had always been in the back of his mind.

Cid's eyes widened. "No one ever told you!?" he asked, offering an arm to Vincent. Vincent took it, and Cid pulled him up, steadying him against his chest. "Fuck, you'd think they'd have a little more sense than that. You've never hurt any of us, so you can quit bein' so nervous all the damn time!" Cid said, flashing Vincent a smile. Underneath his scarf, Vincent smiled a bit as well, before cringing when he pulled back from Cid and saw the blood staining his shirt.

"What're you looking at me like that for?" Cid asked. Vincent pointed to his chest. Cid looked down and swore. "Ah, don't worry about it. That's just because you're covered in the stuff, it's not mine or nothin'." Vincent flinched again upon realizing what he must have done to that monster to be so soaked in its blood. "Hey, all of us get pretty messy from time to time," Cid said, picking up on Vincent's discomfort. "I better wash this shirt quick though, or this shit'll stain. We'll get you cleaned up too before we go back." Cid set out walking, and Vincent followed quietly.

Soon, they came to a stream. Cid wasted no time removing his shirt and trousers before wading into the water.

"Damn, this is cold," he said. "Come share some warmth with me before I freeze to death." Vincent hesitated.

"I thought you were only washing your shirt?" He asked.

"I will in a minute, but we gotta get the blood off you first. Come on," Cid said. Vincent nodded before carefully stripping down to his underwear. Though Cid had seen him naked before, shedding his layers of clothing always made Vincent feel extremely vulnerable. Cid's presence was the only thing that made it bearable. He quickly entered the river, enduring the cold without complaint. After such a difficult day, he found that he simply wanted to be close to Cid. He wanted to be held, to be accepted, by someone who was not afraid of him despite what he was. Vincent moved to lean his head against Cid's chest as Cid combed his fingers through the ends of Vincent's hair, washing blood out from it. The water really did feel much warmer with the two of them huddled together. They stayed like that, Cid pressing gentle kisses to Vincent's brow and Vincent softly stroking Cid's back, the blood washing off of them and disappearing downstream as the sunset turned the water into gold.


End file.
